Three years ago, former NFL player Josh Harris was released from the Montreal Alouettes of the
Canadian Football League.

Disappointed and upset, he retired from football and returned to his hometown of
Westerville.

"My initial reaction was frustration and question marks," he said. "I wasn't really given the
opportunity to show what I could do."

Harris, 28, is back in uniform with a lower-profile team: the Marion Blue Racers of the
Continental Indoor Football League.

"The NFL was really high-pressure, high-stress, all-

business all the time," he said. "This is more fun, more relaxing and almost therapeutic."

Harris had found success as a quarterback at Westerville North High School and Bowling Green
State University, where he still holds the Falcons record for rushing touchdowns (43) and ranks
third in career passing yardage (7,503).

He entered the NFL in 2004 as a sixth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens. He later spent
time with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants of the NFL, and the Alouettes and Calgary
Stampeders of the CFL before leaving the game in 2008.

His passion for football drew him back to the game, he said, but his love of family cemented the
decision.

The Blue Racers are based in Marion, about 40 miles from his Westerville home. And away games in
cities such as Cincinnati and Chicago have reasonable travel times.

"It was just an opportunity to do something fun, and it didn't require me to relocate or quit my
job," said Harris, a sales representative for WOW! cable.

Tami, his wife and biggest fan, encouraged him to join the Blue Racers, he said.

"And now my two sons are old enough to experience this with us," Harris said. "So it was pretty
much a no-brainer."

With three regular-season games remaining, the Racers have a 6-1 record in the league - in
second place, behind the Cincinnati Commandos.

Harris has become a key to such winning ways.

During the first matchup, on March 5 against the Port Huron Predators, he scored the
game-winning touchdown with 27 seconds left.

The 44-37 victory marked the first for the franchise.

For now, Harris ranks second in total offense, rushing and passing within the indoor league.

His biggest contribution to the team? His leadership, head coach Ryan Terry said.

"He brings years of football experience," said Terry, a former defensive lineman at Miami
University.

"He just has this calmness. ... A lot of guys look to him for answers."

The top priority, Harris said, is to have fun.

His easygoing spirit was revealed when, during a game, he fulfilled a request from his sons -
Jacob, 6; and Elijah, 3 - to perform a touchdown dance like the funky finger-pointer that the Rudy
character once did on
The Cosby Show.

"Seeing my kids in the stands and my wife laughing hysterically was my favorite moment of the
season," Harris said.

He has found contentment as a Blue Racer.

"I feel comfortable playing wherever I'm at - at any level," he said. "It's the same game."